When Jason Williams set off to San Francisco with his wife and son on a holiday of a lifetime he would never have imagined that only two of them would come home.

Jason's wife, Zoe Williams, fell ill a day after she arrived in America and just days later the 42-year-old passed away in his arms while their 11-year-old boy Hayden slept nearby.

Mr Williams has previously paid tribute to his wife, describing Zoe as "a very special wife and mother". The day after they arrived in the US, Zoe tried to leave their hotel room with Jason and Hayden but only made it 20 yards before collapsing. She deteriorated over the next few days but still wanted her family to get the most of their dream holiday.

The family received Zoe's final cause of death in February, which left him with a mix of emotions. Doctors in the US had previously wrongly linked her symptoms to a treatable illness she suffered 20 years ago.

"We found out she had a blood clot in her lung which was likely to have been caused by her contraceptive pill and the long-haul flight," he said.

"It was a a relief to find out what really happened but also frustrating that deep vein thrombosis wasn't picked up when she was checked after an 11 hour flight."

The contraceptive pill, commonly referred to as "the pill", is well-known to be linked to increased risk of blood clots in the veins. The NHS says the risk is small but "statistically significant".

Six months on from the heartbreaking trip, Mr Williams, 45, from Caerphilly has spoken about how life has been for him and Hayden since.

Zoe Williams, 42, died while on a dream holiday with her son and husband

Zoe with Hayden

He said Hayden had been "phenomenal" and talks about his mother every day.

"When we came home from San Francisco I spoke to his school and gave him a week off," said Jason.

"He was offered extra support but we decided to play it by ear. The main thing was to make sure he had as much structure and normality in his life as possible, so he kept up with after-school activities like football and boxing.

"He has been nothing short of phenomenal. He talks about his mum every single day and that's really important. He doesn't have many down days, he just remembers all the good times we had together."

Mr Williams said he has got through the last six months by keeping himself busy and seeing the "amazing" support from the local community and beyond.

Zoe and Jason

He said: "I'm just trying to keep my life busy and structured. The support from the community has been amazing too so that's really helped. The hotel where Zoe passed away, The Grand Hyatt, also keep in touch with us to see how we are doing. They've been amazing throughout.

"The trigger points seem to be the most unlikely things. For example, when we first got back home I got upset seeing a bag of peas. It was sad because Zoe bought them before we went to San Francisco and she was the last person to touch them."

Mr Williams runs a flooring company called Haydens Designer Flooring Ltd. Though he is not in work at the moment due to the coronavirus lockdown, he said he found going back to work challenging but is thankful to his colleagues for their support and understanding.

He said: "I tried going back to work, but I found it too difficult at first, I couldn't focus my mind so I started going back in January before the lockdown. I had a lot of support in work from the boys who ran it for me until I could go back."

Caerphilly Castle lit up in Zoe's memory (Image: Jason Williams)

Zoe's funeral was held on November 22, 2019 at Thornhill Crematorium then a disco at Caerphilly Rugby Club, where songs that reminded friends and family of Zoe were played. The family was inundated with support and struggled to fit everyone into the venue.

"About 800 people turned up to Zoe's funeral and all the women wore leopard print because Zoe loved it and we wanted it to celebrate her life. People were in good spirits, I had messages after it saying 'I know this doesn't sound right but that was the best funeral I've been to'," Mr Williams said.

"Yellow was Zoe's favourite colour and her friend, Gemma Watkins, organised for Caerphilly Castle to be lit up yellow on the day of her funeral."

Hayden is "football mad" and said when word got out about Zoe, it touched the hearts of some of his biggest sporting heroes, which meant a lot to both of them.

Welsh footballer Aaron Ramsey, who also plays for Juventus, presented Hayden with a signed shirt after Wales qualified for the Euros. Hayden was also invited to the football club in Turin, Italy, in February to watch Aaron play.

Jason and Hayden at Juventus Football Club (Image: Handout)

Aaron Ramsey presenting Hayden with his signed Juventus shirt after Wales qualified for Euros against Hungary (Image: Jason Williams)

Hayden at the Man United v Wolves game in February (Image: Jason Williams)

Mr Williams said he his very thankful to Ramsey, who is also from Caerphilly, and his family for making the experience "so magical" for Hayden, who was also invited to a Manchester United game in February by family friend Nick Walsh and club legend Denis Irwin.

"They organised a VIP day for Hayden and he led the team out. Player Daniel James even took him into the team huddle," Mr Williams added.

"Of course it has been hard for us but the support we've had really got us through that initial difficult stage."

Hayden and Jason with Joe Bennett who got in touch to donate his signed shirt and boots to Hayden (Image: Handout)

But the support didn't stop there, with Cardiff City player Joe Bennett getting in touch and offering Hayden his shirt and boots, and Welsh rugby player Alun Wyn Jones sending a video showing his support.

Following their trip to Italy, Mr Williams and Hayden had to go straight into isolation, but were luckily both well.

Mr Williams added: "This year has been difficult and a write-off in many ways but the most important thing is that we're both healthy and doing well."